Support for good art, and good taste
01 Oct 15 |
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October 1st 2015
IMMF General Assembly at Reeperbahn Festival 2015 f.l.t.r.: Nathan Brenner (Chair of MMF Australia, IMMF Treasurer), Graham Stairs (International Representative of MMF Canada), Oliver Toth (Chair of MMF Luxembourg), Raitis Zgirskis (International Representative of MMF Latvia), Per Kviman (Chair of MMF Sweden), Natalia Talayero (Co-Chair of MMF Spain), Andy Edwards (International Representative of MMF UK), Patricia Hermida (Co-Chair of MMF Spain, IMMF Vice-Chair), Kari Karjalainen (Member of MMF Finland, Head of the IMMF Copyright Committee), Christoph Storbeck (Chair of MMF Italy), Volker May (International Representative of IMUC Germany, IMMF Chair), Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt (IMMF Policy Advisor), Virpi Immonen (Chair of MMF Finland), Marcel Albers (International Representative of MMF Netherlands), Katia Giampaolo (Member of MMF Italy, Member of the Live Committee), Laszlo Kelemen (International Representative of MMF Hungary), Daria Wabnitz (IMMF Project and Member Manager), Jorge Bizarro (International Representative of MMF Portugal), Leelo Lehtla (Chair of MMF Estonia, Head of the IMMF Classical Committee), Cecilie Torp-Holte (Chair of NEMAA Norway), Danel Padre (International Representative of MMF Estonia), Sibusiso Tshabalala (Chair of MMF South Africa), Yvette Myhill (Chair of AAM Australia) // Not in the picture, but also attending: Didier Zerath (AMA France), Maarten Quaghebeur (MMaF Belgium), Nuno Saraiva (MMF Portugal)
IMMF board elections were held over the weekend at Hamburg’s Reeperbahn conference, new members joined, and we expanded our executive team to embrace more countries and languages. IMMF officials were appointed by manager representatives of 17 IMMF member organisations from 16 countries with a new chair Volker May from Germany, and vice chairs Patricia Hermida from Spain and Gabriel Turielle from Uruguay. We represent artists in 5 continents, our strength is in local talent, and global markets.
At Reeperbahn we at discussed new opportunities for artists, including how to mine the digital gold that is data. With more, and more opportunities for distribution, the data that inspires music curation and recommendation has never before been a more powerful tool for surfacing local talent internationally. We do not endorse consumers going off the grid. We think that when they do, everything is lost. Artists need to make a living, so we need consumers to be able to access relevant legal choices conveniently. Therefore we need to be cautious about controlling consumer choice, about geo-blocking, and about cultural quotas. Curation and recommendation are evolving, and are being used by artists to reach wider audiences. Artists are learning how to use these tools to break out of silos to connect with audiences. The principle of ensuring a more diverse and plural availability of music is one we support with all our hearts.
Broadcasters are accused of using short playlists and focusing on a few songs to satisfy quotas. But it is hard for broadcasters to comply given language and cultural trends. Quotas that touch on production of music may be a better approach to supporting local creators across the world, than quotas on usage of music. Quotas are a contentious topic, so ensuring the broadcasters and platforms are included in the formulation of policies to support local talent, and finding ways to secure more production of local talent would be progressive for all stakeholders. Recommendations and curation need to be market tested, flexible, and delivered with the cooperation and inclusion of the broadcasters and services who deploy them. A shared agenda of surfacing new talent should be encouraged. Restrictions and controls are yesterday’s news.
We welcome Fleur Pellerin, France’s Minister of Culture and Communications, encouraging consensus in France. We expect that debate to be led by artists and their representatives. We now head to the MaMA conference in France where our French members AMA will lead a discussion (16th Oct) of the artists business in 2025. We look forward to meeting policy makers, broadcasters, and digital services as we collectively evolve the artist’s business.
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